Foto Shutterstock You slave away for years and then finally it’s finished. The doctoral thesis is the crowning glory of your scientific education. Some people have had enough by that point and rustle up any old cover in no time. But fortunately most PhD candidates take a lot of care with their cover.
The editors have selected ten exceptional covers from the 359 theses that were defended in the course of 2023. We will admit the choice is a little arbitrary, but all the nominated covers stand out in one way or another. They catch the eye with their creativity, lettering, use of colour and ‘booklikeness’. They wouldn’t look out of place in a bookshop.
But only one cover can be the best. Visitors to this site and a jury will decide who wins the 2023 Cover Prize. Visitors do this by casting one vote each below. The opinions of the voters and the jury are given equal weight. If there is a tie, the jury will decide.
Voting closed on Monday, 8 January 2024 at 12:00 midday (Dutch time). The result will be announced as soon as possible, both online and in the next Resource magazine.
Floortje Kanits
Veilig slapen
Wiegedood komt in Nederland enkele tientallen keren per jaar voor. Meestal niet in een wieg. Floortje Kanits bracht de kennis over oorzaken en preventie samen. De cover schrijnt: een lege wieg onder een sterrenhemel.
Safe sleeping
The Netherlands has several dozens of instances of infant mortality per year. Mostly unrelated to the crib. Floortje Kanits gathered knowledge about causes and prevention. The cover is painful: an empty crib under a starry sky.
Jasper Lamers
Zout mijden
Verzilting van de bodem zorgt bij planten voor zoutstress. Wortels groeien actief weg van het zout. Jasper Lamers onderzocht bij de zandraket de genen die hierbij zijn betrokken. De titel zegt het zelfverzekerd: zo is het.
Avoiding salt
Soil salination causes salinity stress in plants. Roots actively seek a path away from saline soil. Jasper Lamers studied the genes involved in this process in thale cress. The title leaves no doubt: This is it.
Sara Pino Cobacho
Red de mangrove
Mangrove lijdt onder klimaatverandering. Sara Pino Cobacho onderzocht hoe mangrove reageert op warmer tropisch zeewater en welke rol zeegras en koraal daarbij spelen. De cover is simpel: een gestyleerde mangrove.
Save mangrove
Mangrove are affected by climate change. Sara Pino Cobacho investigated the effect of warmer tropical seawater on mangroves and what role seagrass and coral play. The cover is simple: a stylised mangrove.
Max Finger-Bou
Kleine stapjes
Een PhD-traject is vaak te kort voor grote bijdrages aan de wetenschap. Max finger-Bou neemt zijn kleine studie naar eiwitproductie op de hak. Met dank aan zijn jazzheld John Coltrane en diens album Giant Steps. Let op de i.
Baby steps
A PhD trajectory is often too short for significant contributions to science. Max finger-Bou makes fun of his work on protein production, using his jazz hero John Coltrane’s album Giant Steps. Note the “i”.
Erik Lucien Delaquis
Cassave-netwerk
Cassave vermeerdert vegetatief via stengeldelen. Erik Lucien Delaquis bestudeerde het systeem van die vermeerdering en verspreiding in de Mekong-delta. De cover toont in zachte bruintinten een cassaveplant boven en onder de grond.
Cassava network
Cassava reproduces by stem division. Erik Lucien Delaquis studied this system of reproduction and distribution in the Mekong Delta. The cover shows a cassava plant above ground in soft hues of brown.
Suzanne van der Meulen
Bruikbaar water
Is stadswater bruikbaar voor transport, recreatie en warmtewinning? Suzanne van der Meulen onderzocht dat in Amsterdam, Toronto en Gent. Het lijnenspel op de omslag verbeeldt de drie functies en de skylines van die steden.
Usable water
Can urban water be used for transportation, leisure and heat production? Suzanne van der Meulen investigated this in Amsterdam, Toronto and Ghent. The lines on the cover represent the three functions and the skylines of the three cities.
Frans Boogaard
Planten scannen
3D opnames van planten zijn nuttig bij veredeling. De computer kan er snel en precieze informatie uit aflezen over tal van kenmerken. De cover van Frans Boogaard houdt het simpel: een gedigitaliseerd plantje licht op in het donker.
Scanning plants
3D footage of plants is useful in breeding. A computer can rapidly and precisely extract information on numerous properties. Frans Boogaard’s cover keeps it simple: a digitalised plant fluoresces in the dark.
Bingxin Wang
Plagen verschuiven
Door klimaatverandering verschuiven de leefgebieden van plaaginsecten. Bingxin Wang bracht die veranderingen via modellen in kaart. De omslag vertaalt die op zichzelf zorgwekkende veranderingen in bijna vrolijk makend kleurig beeld.
Plagues shift
Climate change causes plague insect habitats to shift. Bingxin Wang used models to map these changes. The cover translates these harrowing changes into an almost festive, colourful image.
Lette Hogeling
Gezonder leven
Hoe stimuleer je kwetsbare gezinnen in sociaal zwakke milieus tot gezonder gedrag? Dat is complex, concludeert Lette Hogeling. Er is geen one size fits all. Die complexiteit moet je omarmen, zegt de titel. En schijnt dan vanzelf de zon?
Healthier living
How can you motivate vulnerable families in socially disadvantaged positions to adopt healthier behaviour? The issue is complex, is Lotte Hogeling’s conclusion. There is no one-size-fits-all. And this complexity must be embraced, according to the title. Will that bring out the sun?
Francesca Bellinazzo
Bloeien of niet
Tulpen bloeien of vormen bollen. Francesca Bellinazzo onderzocht de rol van genen die een essentiële rol spelen bij die keuze. Oud-Hollandse tulpentegeltjes sieren de cover. Die vrouw is ‘stiefmoeder’, één van de onderzochte genen.
To bloom or not
Tulips bloom or form bulbs. Francesca Bellinazzo studied the role of the genes that are key in this choice. Historical Dutch tiles with tulips grace the cover. The woman is “stepmother”, one of the genes that were studied.
I like Bingxin’s cover. Very impressive.
I prefer Bingxin’s Plagues Shift due to the colors chosen.
bingxin’s cover is so cool
Bingxin’s cover is the type of my tea.
It’s beautiful! Congratulations!
I was growing up on cassava fields, and reading the whole thesis of Erik reminded me of my lovely and peaceful childhood! I am impressed by his thesis cover photo as the way the cassava tubers attached and growing up underground reflects the human life’s relationships and their coherence in small villages in rural villages in my country!